Cleaning attachment for ink rolls



Feb. s, 1944. E CURTIS 2,341,020

CLEANING ATTACHMENT FOR INK ROLLS Filed June 11, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 23 Jrg. i

Feb. 8, 1944. F E CURTIS 2,341,020

CLEANING ATTACHMENT FOR INK ROLLS Filed June lvl, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Byafau @Er/;

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Patented Feb. 8,

y 2.341.020 cLEANmG ATTACHMENT Fon INK nous Franklin E. Curtis, Willoughby, Ohio, assignor to Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation ot Delaware Application June 11, 1941, Serial No. 397,574 1s claims. (cl. 10i-425) This invention relates to an attachment for a printing machine for removing ink from one of the rolls of the inking system. My attachment is designed to be mounted removably on l yielding scraper blade adapted to coact under adjustable pressure with such hard-surfaced roll to remove the ink therefrom.

It results, with the mechanism above outlined, that by properly regulating the pressure of the hard-surfaced roll against the form roll ofthe inking system, and the pressure of the blade against the hard-surfaced roll, I can clean excess ink from the inking system, either with a view to maintaining a more uniform ink feed in operation, or for cleaning the rolls at the end of a printing operation, or when the character of the ink is to be changed. A preferred embodiment of the mechanism performing these functions is illustrated in the drawings hereof and hereinafter more fully described.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the inking portion of a printing machine including its inking system, with my cleaning attachment in vertical section; Fig. 2 is a perspective, on a different scale, of the cleaning attachment removed; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the attachment partly `broken away, the view being taken from the -position of the inking roller to be cleaned.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have illustrated a rotary printing machine of which I indicates the plate cylinder carrying a plate II, and I2 indicates a platen, or an offset cylinder leading to a platen, according to whether the machine prints directly or by offset action. These cylinders are carried by a frame having substantially vertical end plates, one of which is shown at I5. The two end plates are shown as braced by a cross rod I6.

The inking system of the rotary printing machine illustrated comprises a movable fountain 20 resting on the frame cross`rod I6, a periodic rotatable fountain roll 2l, a movable ductor roll 22 and a -roll 23 receiving ink from the ductor, a nal form roll 24 coacting with the printing plate Il', and various intermediate rolls between the ink receiving roll and the form roll of which four are shown. designated 25, 26, 21 and 28.

The specific cleaning device shown in the drawings is designed for attachment on such a rotary printing machine as above outlined. The frame of the attachment comprises a pair of end plates and 3l and a pair of cross bars 32 and 33.

Each of the frame plates 38 and 3| is cut back at the upper end, illustrated at 35,and has an inclined top surface and to this incline is secured a metal strip 36, curved over the recess 35, and adapted to overhang the rod I6 of the printing machine. Near the lower ends of these end members 30 and 3|, ears 31 and 38 are formed on their outer faces and screws pass through these ears into the frame of the printing machine. The clips 36 and the screws 40 thus provide means for removable mounting of the attachment on the printing machine.

Rotatably mounted between the end plates of the attachment is a metal roll 58 positioned so that it may engage the form roll 24 of the inking system when the attachment is mounted. This hard-surfaced roll is secured to a shaft 5| journalled on the frame plates 30 and 3|. The shaft carries on the outer side of the frame plate 30 a gear 55 which meshes with an idler gear 56 on a xed stud 51 mounted in the plate 30. 'Ihis idler gear meshes with a suitable gear on the printing machine.

In the inking system shown, the roller 28 is positively driven while the form roller 244s frictionally driven by contact with the roller` 28 and the gear on the printing machine which the attachment gear 56 engages is the driven gear 28 rigid with the inking roller 28.

The screws 40 heretofore mentioned, which hold the lower end of the attachment frame in place, pass loosely through the ears 31 and 38, and are surrounded by compression springs 42 between heads 43 on the screws and the corresponding ears. This enables a variable pressure to be applied to the lower end of the frame and thus the positively-driven hard-surfaced roller 50 is maintained with the desired pressure against the inking form roll 24.

Pivotally mounted on the cross rod 33 of the attachment frame are a pair of levers extending substantially vertically above the pivot, as indicated at 6I, and below the pivot extending diagonally downward toward the printing machine and terminating in substantially horizontal upward faces. Mounted on these faces is a cross bar 64 having a substantially vertical flange 65.

Clamped to the rear face of this ange 66 is a rubber wiper blade 1li adapted to coact with the metallic roll 50. To clamp the wiper blade in place I provide a bar 1I, the lower portion of which has a bead engaging the flange 65, the upper portion of which lies against the blade 1U, while screws 12 draw the bar toward the :Gange to clamp the blade.

The pressure of the yielding wiper blade 'IIJ against the metallic roll is effected by thumb screws 68 which are threaded in the upward portions 6I of the levers and abut bosses 39 on the attachment frame. Suitable tension springs 69 anchored to the frame and to the upper ends of the levers 60 maintain the screws 68 in abutting engagement with the frame ears. Accordingly these screws provide means for forcing the wiper blade against the cleaning roll 50. 'I'he wiper blade being of yielding material, similar to rubber, I may thus maintain a variable pressure as desired.

When the roller 50 is in contact with the inking roll and the blade 10 is in contact with the roller 50, ink is transferred from the inking system to the roller 50, and -scraped oil! of the latter by the outer edge of the wiper 10. Such ink then passes downwardly along such outer face and along the clamping bar 1 I.

To receive the removed ink, I provide a removable pan 30 in the form of a rectangular box with an open top. This pan has a rearward flange 82 which lies beneath and contacts with the horizontal flange of the cross bar 64 mounted on the swinging levers 60. 'I'humb screws 84 pass through open notches in the pan flange 82 into the bar 64 and bear against the under-face of the iiange to hold the pan removably in place.

To mount my attachment on the printing machine, one simply supports it manually in a more or less horizontal position behind the machine with the hooks 36 extending upwardly, and then passes these hooks under and around the frame bar I6 and swings the attachment down into its approximately normal position. The operator then inserts the screws 40, having the compression springs 42 on their shanks, through the frame ears and by means of the knurled heads 43 turns the screws into the threaded openings in the frame of the printing machine. When the attachment is thus positioned, the gear 56 meshes with the printing machine gear 29.

When the printing machine is thereafter operated, the roller 50 of the attachment (which is automatically rotated by this action) will be idle unless the screws 40 are turned in a considerable distance, for gravity will maintain the roller 50 out of actual contact with the roller 24 if the screws allow it'. Whenever desired, however, the mere tightening of the screws 40 by their knurled heads 43 forces the roller 50 into pressure contact with the inking roller 24.

As the roller 24 is the last inking roller of the system, ink taken of! oi' it by the roller 50 will be gradually replaced from the inking system by the preceding rollers, and thus the removal of the ink from the roller 24 serves to remove ink from the entire system from the receiving roller 23 to the roller 24.

The removal of ink as described from the roller 24 will not proceed beyond the hard-surfacedy roller 5l) unless the blade 10 contacts with the latter. When the cleaning device is mounted this scraper need not be active; that is to say, the blade will not contact with the roller 50, if the screws 68 are loosened, for then the springs 69 hold the blade away from the roller.

Now when it is desired to scrape the ink from the roller 50, this is readily eilected by tightening the screws 68 to cause the blade to press with controlled pressure against the roller. When so pressing, the ink from the inking system passing to the roller 50 is scraped off by the blade 10 and passes eventually to the pan 80. When this pan contains a suflicient quantity of ink it is removed by loosening the screws 84, and the pan may be cleaned and returned.

I claim:

1. A cleaning attachment for an ink roll of a printing machine, comprising a frame adapted to be removably mounted on the frame of the printing machine, a roller mounted in the attachment frame, gearing for driving said roller adapted to receive movement for the printing machine, yielding means adapted to be set and retained in various positions for variably pressing said roller against a roller of the inking system of the printing machine, and a scraping device coacting with said roller of the attachment.

2. A k,cleaning attachment fon a printing machine comprising a frame, a roller carried thereby, a rotatable idler gear meshing with a gear rigid with a roller, a wiper blade adapted to coact with the roller, and means for so mounting the frame on the frame of a printing machine that the idler gear meshes with a gear of a printing machine and the roller coacts with a roller of the inking system on a diierent axis from that' of said gear of the printing machine.

3. The combination with a printing machine, of an attachment pivotally mounted on the printing machine and comprising a frame, a roller therein, a wiper blade, a carrier for the wiper blade movably mounted on the frame of the attachment, means for adjustably pressing the frame of the attachment toward the printing machine and mechanically holding it in set position to cause said roller to contact with an inking roller of the printing machine, and means for adjustably pressing the wiper blade against the roller of the attachment.

4. A cleaning attachment for a printing machine, comprising a frame adapted to be mounted on the frame of the printing machine, a roller mounted in the attachment frame and adapted to contact with a roller of the inking system of the printing machine to receive ink therefrom, a second frame pivotally mounted on the attachment frame, a wiper blade and an ink receiving pan mounted on said second frame, means for swinging the second frame with reference to the iirst frame to cause the wiper blade to coact with the roller.

5. An ink cleaning attachment of the character described, comprising a trama-means for pivotally attaching the same to a printing machine, a roller rotatably mounted in said frame, gearing carried by said frame connected with the roller and adapted to connect with driving means on the printing machine to cause the roller to be automatically rotated when the frame is mounted on the printing machine, a supplemental frame pivotally mounted on the frame mentioned, a bar carried by the supplemental frame having an upstanding iiange, a. wiper blade, means for clamping it to said iiange, a removable ink receiving pan, means for clamping it to said bar, and means for swinging said supplemental frame on the main frame of the attachment to hold having an inking system, of an attachment.

adapted to be removably mounted on the frame of the printing machine, said attachment having its own frame. means for pivotally attaching the upper end of the attachment frame to the printing machine frame, means for anchoring the lower end of the attachment frame to the printing machine frame under control of spring pressure, a roller mounted in the attachment frame and having a gear, an idler gear on the attachment frame meshing with the rst mentioned gear and adapted also to mesh with a gear on the printing machine, a supplemental frame pivoted to the attachment frame, a wiper blade and an ink-receiving pan carried bythe supplemental frame, and adjustable means for swinging the supplemental frame with reference to the main frame of the attachment to cause the blade to engage said roller with variable pressure.

7. The combination of a printing machine having a train of inking rolls terminating in a form roll, said printing machine having a rod standing beneath the fountain, and an inking attachment having a frame provided at its upper end with a pair of hooks adapted to engage said rod, a pair of screws for securing the attachment frame near its lower end to the printing machine frame, a hard-surfaced roller carried by the attachment frame and adapted to contact with the form roll of the inking system under the pressure of said springs, gearing between a gear on the inking system of the printing machine and said hard-surfaced roller to drive the latter positively, a supplemental frame pivotally mounted on the attachment frame, a wiper blade and a removable ink receiving pan carried by the supplemental frame, and a screw device -for swinging said supplemental frame on the main frame of the attachment to press the Wiper blade adjustably against the hard-surfaced roller.

8. A cleaning attachment for an ink roll in a train between the ink fountain and the form cylinder in a printing machine, comprising a hard-surfaced roller so supported that it may be moved bodily into contact with an ink rol] of such train of the printing machine, gearing for positively driving said hard-surfaced roller, means for pressing said hard-surfaced roller under controlled spring pressure against a frictionally driven inking roll of the printing machine, and a scraping device coacting with said hard-surfaced roller.

9. A cleaning attachment for a printing machine which has a train of coacting inking rollers terminating in a frictionally driven form roller characterized in that the attachment has a hardsurfaced roller positioned to engage the frictionally driven form roller. gearing connecting said hard-surfaced roller with a gear on the printing machine, means for pressing the hard-surfaced roller under controlled and maintained spring pressure against the form roller, and means for removing ink from the hard-surfaced roller.

l0. The combination with a printing machine having a train of inking rollers, one of which has a gear whereby it is positively driven and another of which is frctionally driven by sur\ face contact from said gear-driven roller, a hardsurfaced roller adapted to contact with said frictionally driven roller, a gear geared with the hard-surfaced roller and adapted to mesh with said inking roller gear on the printing machine,

whereby the hard-surfaced roller is positively driven but coacts with .the frictionally driven inking Vroller and rotates at the same surface speed therewith, means for yieldingly pressing the hard-surfaced roller against said frictionally driven roller, and a wiper blade pressing against the hard-surfaced roller.

l1. The combination with a printing machine of a cleaning attachment comprising a frame pivotally mounted on the frame\ of the printing machine, a hard-surfaced roller rotatably mounted in the attachment frame and contacting with a friction driven roller of the inking system of the printing machine, a wiper blade, a carrier therefor pivotally mounted on the attachment framepmeans for swinging the wiper blade carrier to. cause the wiper blade to contact with the roller at variable pressure, gearing connecting said hard-surfaced roller with a gear on a geardriven roller of the inking system, and means for swinging the attachment frame to cause its roller tocoact with said friction driven inking roller with variable pressure.

12. 'I'he combination with a printing machine having a train of inking rollers, one of which has a gear whereby it is positively driven and another of which is frictionally driven by surface contact with said gear driven roller, an attachment frame movably mounted on the printing machine, a hard-surfaced roller mounted therein and adapted to contact with said frictionally driven roller, a gear geared with the hard-surfaced roller and adapted to mesh with said gear on the printing machine, whereby the hard-surfaced roller is positively driven but coacts with the frictionally driven inking roller and rotates at the same surface speed therewith, means for yieldingly pressing the attachment frame toward the printing machine and holding it in set position to cause the yielding engagement of the hard-surfaced roller with said frictionally driven roller,` a wiper blade on the attachment, and means independent of the yielding frame pressing means forppressing the wiper blade .against the hard-surfaced roller.

13. An ink cleaning attachment for a printing machine, comprising a frame, means adjacent one end of the frame adapted removably to anchor the frame on suitable supports on the printing machine, means for attaching the other end of the frame with variable spring pressure to the printing machine, a hard-surfaced roller carried by the attachment frame adapted to engage an inking roller of the printing machine, and a supplemental frame movably mounted on the frame first mentioned and carrying a ilexible wiper blade adapted to engage said hard-surfaced roller.

14. A cleaning attachment for a printing machine, comprising a frame, means for pivotally suspending the same adjacent its upper end on the frame of the printing machine, means for yieldingly pressing the lower end of the frame toward the printing machine, a roller carried by the frame and adapted to engage a roller of the inking system of the printing machine under such spring pressure, said attachment roller being nearer the vertical plane through the axis of said inking system roller than is the pivotal support for the attachment frame, whereby gravity tends to swing said attachment frame away from said roller of the inking system, and means for gearing the attachment roller to a rotating part on the printing machine.

15. A cleaning attachment for a printing machine, comprising a frame, means for pivotally mounting the same adjacent its upper end on the frame of the printing machine, a pair of screws for securing the lower end of the frame to the printing machine, springs surrounding said screws and compressed between shoulders thereon and the frame to force the frame by variable pressure toward the printing machine, a hardsurfaced roller carried by the-frame and adapted to engage an inking roller of the printing machine under such spring pressure, means for gearing said hard-surfaced roller to a rotating part on the printing machine, by gears separa-ble as the lower end of the frame swings a sucient distance away from the printing machine enabled by the loosening of said screws and a wiping device carried by said frame coacting with said hard-surfaced roller.

16. A cleaning attachment for a printing machine comprising a frame formed to be pivotally mounted adjacent one end on the frame of the printing machine, a take-off roller mounted in an intermediate region of the attachment frame and adapted to contact, with a roller of the inking system of such printing machine to receive ink therefrom, a wiper blade, a carrier therefor movably mounted on the attachment frame, enabling the wiper blade to engage the take-off roller with a variable pressure, and means for yieldingly holding the free end of said attachment frame in adjusted position with reference to the printing machine to press the take-off roller yieldingly against said roller of the inking system.

FRANKLIN E. CURTIS. 

